CBS "THIS MORNING CO HOST" GAYLE KING INKS $16.5 MILLION 3 YEAR CONTRACT TO CONTINUE LEADING THE SHOW! (915 hits)

Via "THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER:
CBS This Morning co-host Gayle King recently hammered out a new long-term deal to stay on the show.

The deal — $16.5 million for three years, or $5.5 million a year — was first reported by Page Six.

The pact comes as fellow CBS This Morning co-host Norah O'Donnell also is in contract negotiations with CBS News. Despite rumors that O'Donnell could move to the CBS Evening News, network execs are looking to keep the morning show team together. The third CBS This Morning co-host, Charlie Rose, has a deal that extends into next year.

CBS This Morning has experienced ratings momentum and mornings, where networks program multiple hours and can bring in younger and more female demographics, are a much more lucrative daypart than nighttime.

CBS This Morning still trails NBC's Today show and ABC's Good Morning America, but it's the only national broadcast up year-over-year. Season-to-date, CBS This Morning has grown its total audience by about 5 percent, while key demos — adults 25-54, women 25-54 and women 18-49 — are up double digits.

At the same time, GMA, which this season tapped Michael Strahan as full-time co-host, was down in all of those measures. Today is flat in viewers and the critical 25-54 demo.